


The Taste of Nectar on His Lips

by Milieu



Category: Bandom, Black Veil Brides
Genre: Afterlife, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Marriage, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-04 22:30:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16798327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milieu/pseuds/Milieu
Summary: They didn't have a proper honeymoon, but they would make do.The unnecessary sequel to 'Black Veil'.





	The Taste of Nectar on His Lips

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I've been listening to Hadestown again, what of it.

Sharing a bed with someone took some getting used to. It wasn't as though Ashley had never done so before, but the circumstances this time were rather different than anything else he'd experienced.

He had actually spent the first few nights in his own separate room, as Andy had promised he could. Ashley had needed space, time to adjust and take in his new surroundings, and Andy had... well, if he'd been hurt by Ashley's reluctance to jump right into intimate cohabitation, he'd done a good job of keeping it to himself. They saw each other pretty constantly the rest of the time, anyway. The underworld was surprisingly barren of other beings that could actually be interacted with; Ashley had only spoken to a small handful of helpful minor deities or spirits, or whatever they were, and had glimpsed a few more from afar, and that was it aside from Andy.

If he had to define it, Ashley would have called the strange new land he found himself in a beautiful void. Andy had been right about the gardens, the orchards, the palace, but it felt so... empty. Maybe Ashley was just used to the small, crowded village he'd grown up in, and the state of things here wasn't as unnatural as it felt. Technically it was packed with souls, of course, but those were all confined to the massive river that spanned the entire expanse. Ashley still wasn't sure how he felt about the river, though he supposed he'd had as good an introduction to it as possible. Most of the time still, he tried not to think too hard about it.

The cycle of day and night, too, was odd and distant from what Ashley was used to. For one thing, the underworld didn't really seem to have a sky or celestial bodies. There was just an open expanse above that faded into mist as it got higher. The light shifted slowly as time passed, fading from warm sun-like tones to a dimmer and cooler echo of the moon. It cast everything in a soft and dreamy light, though Ashley was usually wide awake. He was surprised that he still slept, actually. It seemed like he was doing it more out of habit than because he really got tired. Just another thing that felt unreal in this place.

Ironically, Andy was the only lively part of the land of the dead.

In all honesty, Ashley was glad for his company. Rocky as their first meeting had been, Andy had been nothing but accommodating and kind, deeply concerned over whether Ashley was comfortable and happy. For the first part, he supposed he was as comfortable as possible given that he was, well, _dead_. As to the second...

Well, they were working on it. When Ashley was occupied and had something to dwell on other than his thoughts and memories, it was hard to be malcontent.

The issue of being left alone with his thoughts was what ultimately drove him to Andy's bed.

Maybe it was just that the right amount of time had passed for him to begin to come out of the shock of his own death and the events that had led up to it. Whenever he got comfortable, something would rise out of the depths, either a foggy memory of getting dragged around while the priests droned on, or the sharp, unpleasant jolt of falling. He tossed and turned for some indeterminate amount of time before finally getting up in frustration. He didn't exactly have a goal in deciding to seek Andy out; he just wanted company. Besides that, Ashley often found himself thinking about what a lonely existence it must have been in the undefined stretch of time after Andy took over as the god of death and before Ashley's... arrival. Andy always seemed eager for his company, and Ashley was willing to give it.

Shrugging a robe on over his loose sleep shirt and pants, Ashley slipped out of his room and down the empty hall outside, trailing his hand absently along the wall. Andy's room -- technically their shared bedroom, though Ashley had yet to spend a night there -- wasn't far. 

There was no light seeping from beneath the door, but as soon as Ashley hesitated outside, a voice called to him softly from within.

"Ashley?"

He sighed, more relieved than he cared to admit. Andy seemed to have a sense for when he was near.

He eased the door open, making out the shape of the canopied bed and the figure sitting up in it. Sleeping was apparently something Andy did to pass the time when he was bored, much like he only ate because he enjoyed the taste of food. Neither of them had pointed it out, but he'd rather obviously been adjusting his sleeping schedule to match Ashley's.

"Um," Ashley started, hesitating in the doorway now that he was there. "May I come in?"

"Of course." He could just see Andy's head tilt in confusion, or possibly concern.

Ashley slipped into the room, quietly closing the door behind him, and approached the bed. He stopped at the corner of it, absently wrapping one arm around the bedpost. He hadn't thought about how he was going to explain himself.

Andy rose from the bed, reaching out to touch Ashley's arm. "What's wrong?"

Ashley shrugged, still at a loss for the proper way to articulate his struggle. "Couldn't sleep."

"You don't need to," Andy pointed out. Ashley resisted rolling his eyes.

"I know that. Not much else to do when it's dark out, though."

"There are candles and lanterns if you need to see."

Ashley shrugged again, frowning absently. Andy had a habit of dancing around things until Ashley pushed him to discuss them outright. He thought it was an attempt to be polite, but it got frustrating quickly for Ashley, who preferred a more straightforward approach to most things.

Andy's hand traveled up Ashley's arm to stroke across his shoulder and then up to cup his face. "Something else is bothering you." His tone was open-ended enough to invite a response.

Ashley closed his eyes, leaning into Andy's touch and for a moment revisiting their first meeting, the way Andy had guided Ashley's hands to his face to prove he was human (or at least human-shaped). Andy was quite free with casual physical affection in a way that Ashley appreciated. It was comforting. Grounding in a way, when he still often felt like none of this was real.

"Just thinking too much," he said finally. After a moment he added, "I didn't want to be alone right now." It felt a bit childish and embarrassing to admit, though another part of him argued that there should be no shame in saying that he wanted to spend time with his- husband.

The marriage issue still nagged at him, though less intensely than everything else. Ashley's discontent with it centered on his own lack of agency in the situation rather than any unpleasantness from Andy himself.

Andy leaned in to rest his forehead against Ashley's. "You can always come to me when you don't want to be alone."

Ashley smiled faintly. "Thanks." He gave in to the urge to move in closer, wrapping his arms around Andy's torso and smoothing his hands over his back. Andy tensed slightly for just a second out of surprise, then relaxed and returned the embrace. He was warm and solid, real. Ashley closed his eyes and pressed his face into the crook of Andy's neck, inhaling. The physical sensations did a bit to dispel the fog in his mind.

Andy pressed his lips against Ashley's temple, murmuring, "What can I do to help?"

Ashley traced his fingers over Andy's bare back and then down his side, feeling out the ridges of his ribs and down to the sharp point of his hipbone above the waistband of his pants. A small shiver worked its way up Andy's spine in the wake of Ashley's touch, and something about it pleased him.

"Can I sleep in here?"

"Of course!" Andy's answer was immediate, his hold tightening enough for a moment to draw an "oof" out of Ashley before relaxing again. He pulled away slightly, seeming embarrassed. "I mean... it's your room too."

"Right," Ashley said, though he still felt the need to ask permission.

Andy released him so that he could slip out of the robe and put it aside, and then he ushered Ashley beneath the covers. The canopy around the bed shrouded it even more from the weak light outside. A warmth lingered in the spot where Andy had been laying earlier, though it was soon outmatched by that of Andy's body pressing up to Ashley's back once they were settled. Andy stroked Ashley's arm down to his hand to lace their fingers together, then used his hold across Ashley's body to pull him back snugly against his chest.

Ashley sighed and gave no protest. Having someone's arm around him was already better than tossing and turning on his own.

Andy nuzzled against Ashley's shoulder and neck, occasionally pressing kisses to his skin. He tapered off after a while and did his best to lay still so that Ashley could sleep, though he himself clearly wasn't doing so; Ashley could feel him fidgeting every so often.

Ashley closed his eyes and did doze for a while, but he never fully drifted off. He was comfortable, but still unused to Andy's presence in his bed, and with no physical exhaustion to tug him down, he couldn't help focusing on the other physical sensations. It was strange to be this close to someone and not feel a heartbeat or their breath in his ear. That was going to take some getting used to. The rest, though, was pleasant.

At one point, Ashley felt Andy's free hand trail up his spine to his neck, brushing his hair back and absently toying with the strands. He couldn't help a small, giggling exhale as Andy's fingers brushed a ticklish spot.

Andy quickly drew his hand back. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Mm." Ashley tugged his hand out of Andy's so that he could turn over beneath Andy's arm to face him. "It's fine. Still can't sleep, really."

"Would you like tea? I can make you some, or..." Andy trailed off as Ashley shook his head.

"This is fine." Ashley pressed his hands to Andy's chest, then let whim lead him further and hooked one ankle over Andy's calf as well. This close, he could clearly make out the details of Andy's face, watching him intently. He was still now, letting Ashley do as he pleased. It was something Ashley had noticed, the way all the little touches ceased when Ashley started touching back, like Andy was waiting to see what he would do. He clearly wanted to be more physically affectionate -- or at least that was how Ashley read his actions -- but he seemed to draw back when Ashley returned the interest.

"Do I make you nervous?" Ashley murmured.

Andy blinked at him, blue eyes pale in the darkness. "I don't know. Maybe a little." His hand returned to Ashley's side, rubbing softly.

Maybe at some point, Ashley would have thought that it should make him feel powerful to make a god nervous. At present, he was just glad that he wasn't the only one. They hadn't been this close since that first meeting. Andy's naming, the veil, the kiss...

"Kiss me?"

Andy looked surprised by the request but obliged, reaching up to cradle Ashley's jaw and softly pressing their lips together. Ashley sighed against his mouth, one hand sliding from Andy's chest to his back to press them closer. He rubbed his foot over Andy's leg, pleased at the shudder he felt in return. When Andy pulled back, Ashley closed the distance between them again.

His heart wasn't pounding, but he could still feel heat beginning to curl in his stomach.

Since the day of the lottery, he hadn't had any good contact with anyone but Andy. For someone as physically-inclined as Ashley, it was like another kind of touch starvation. And, well... they were married, weren't they?

He let his hands roam, feeling the flex of muscle beneath Andy's skin. They broke apart momentarily, eyes meeting, and then dove back in to each other. Ashley traced his tongue over Andy's lower lip and was met with surprisingly shy compliance. He slipped his tongue into Andy's mouth, pleased when Andy moaned softly. Their kisses grew clumsy as Andy tried to mirror Ashley's movements, stroking over Ashley's tongue with his own and then nipping at his lips. Ashley's hand moved between them, sliding over the faint sheen of sweat gathering on Andy's chest to find one nipple, stroking at it with his thumb before tugging.

Andy gasped sharply, jerking against Ashley. With nothing but a couple of thin layers of fabric between them, Ashley could clearly feel the first twitch of Andy's arousal.

"Does that feel good?" He asked. He felt inclined to whisper, though he knew there was almost certainly no one to overhear them.

"Yes." Andy's voice was gravelly.

Ashley pressed a kiss to the underside of Andy's jaw, letting his tongue dip out to chase a bead of sweat. "Do you want me to do it again?"

" _Yes_."

Ashley did as directed, rubbing and pulling at Andy's nipple until it was hard and then moving to the other to do the same, taking in all the little noises Andy made in response to his actions. Andy peppered his face with soft, open-mouthed kisses, hips rocking against Ashley's body whenever he felt a particularly good jolt.

"Here..." Ashley turned from his side to his back, pulling Andy with him. He opened his legs to hook them over Andy's hips, securing his thighs on either side of Andy's waist and holding him in place. Like this, Ashley could feel the heat pulsing between Andy's legs as he got hard. _That_ made him feel powerful.

Andy let out another little keening moan and kissed Ashley again, hard. "I can feel you..." he whispered against Ashley's lips.

"I know." Ashley rolled his hips against Andy's, drawing another pleasing noise out of him and sending a jolt up his own spine. Andy's warmth and weight pressing him down were good. _Real_. He wanted more of it and was more than happy to let desire take over and guide him.

"Have you made love before?" He asked as the question occurred to him, nipping at Andy's earlobe.

Andy laughed, sounding a little breathless despite himself. "No. Who would I have been with before you?"

Ashley pulled back, sinking into the pillows somewhat as he looked up at Andy. "...Do you want to?"

Andy traced the shape of Ashley's cheek, rubbing his thumb across Ashley's lips. "Of course. If you want to."

A smile tugged at Ashley's lips as he nipped at the pad of Andy's thumb. "Then undress me." He lifted his arms over his head to allow Andy to remove his shirt. Andy sat back to do so, his knuckles brushing Ashley's stomach as he pulled the shirt over Ashley's head. The temperature seemed to drop in the absence of Andy pressing over him, and he shivered.

Andy's hands settled on Ashley's sides, sliding down to hook his thumbs under the waistband of Ashley's pants. "These too?"

"Yeah," Ashley said, laughing a little. He obligingly lifted his hips so that Andy could do so. Goosebumps rose on his skin as he was bared, and Andy sat back on his heels, eyes sweeping over Ashley's body with such an intensity that it was hard not to squirm.

"You're beautiful," Andy said, something wide open in his expression as he met Ashley's eyes again. Ashley didn't doubt that he meant it.

He reached up to Andy, pulling him down by the shoulders to kiss him deeply again, and then tugged Andy's pants down off of his hips once he was in reach. Andy kicked them off his legs and with just a moment's hesitation, folded his body over Ashley's again. This time there was only skin on skin, and Ashley moaned low in his throat. He shifted his hips, hard cock rubbing against Andy's stomach. Andy reached between them to palm it with an unsteady hand, keeping his eyes on Ashley's face as he rubbed and stroked, watching the way his expression twisted in pleasure.

Ashley whimpered as Andy thumbed at the head of his cock, dragging the foreskin back to smear precome around the flesh. Even if Andy's movements were slightly unsure, it felt _good_. Ashley hadn't consciously realized how much he'd wanted to put himself in the hands of someone that made him feel safe again. He squeezed Andy's ass with one hand, urging their hips closer and gasping at the friction. He kissed at Andy's neck and shoulder, letting his teeth come to bear whenever a sharper spark of pleasure flared.

"Wanna make you come," he gasped in Andy's ear, squeezing his thighs on either side of Andy's waist.

Andy nodded, almost burying his face in Ashley's neck. "Do whatever you want."

Ashley bit his lip to hold back a grin. He used his hold on Andy's waist to shift them again, adjusting the angle so that Andy's cock could slide between his thighs. Andy made a startlingly high-pitched noise of surprise and pleasure as Ashley rolled his hips again, rubbing Andy's cock between his legs. Ashley was likewise surprised but not at all disappointed when Andy took control, gripping the backs of Ashley's legs and thrusting against him with more force.

Ashley secured his arms and lower legs around Andy and let him guide their movements, nearly whining when his stomach clenched tightly enough to almost feel like he was coming, but it passed him by. Andy's cock rubbed along the sensitive skin between his legs and further back, almost far enough to slide between his buttocks, sending thrills up Ashley's spine with every move. Finally, Andy shuddered violently and then stilled, fingers digging into Ashley's thighs so hard it almost hurt. He buried his face into the crook of Ashley's neck again as a splatter of wet heat marked Ashley's skin, moaning weakly.

Ashley dragged his hands through Andy's hair, pulling his head up to give him a sloppy kiss. He pulled one of Andy's hands away from his leg and guided it between them to wrap around his cock again, closing his fingers on top of Andy's. Their movements were shaky and uncoordinated, but it got the job done. With a few more strokes, Ashley was arching away from the bed with a gasp, the grip of his other hand tightening in Andy's hair as he came.

They stayed locked together, a tangle of sweaty limbs, until Ashley's muscles finally relaxed and let him sink back down. He was gasping, though he remembered on some faint conscious level that he didn't need to. Habit died hard.

Andy hovered above him, braced on his elbows and knees. His eyes stayed on Ashley's face with a kind of wonder, like he was trying to memorize every detail. Ashley looked away, self-conscious again under his gaze.

"Lay down already," he said finally, mouth twitching up into a smile. He pushed at Andy's chest; Andy let Ashley ease him down and roll him onto his side more than he actively moved himself. He turned too, rolling away from the wet spot on the bed and settling against Andy.

"You're shaking," Andy murmured, sliding his arms around Ashley and pulling him against his chest.

"So are you. It's normal." Ashley hid his smile against Andy's collarbone. "Anyway. We're properly married now." He laughed.

"Oh?"

"Don't you know that's what newlyweds are supposed to do?" Ashley teased.

"Hm? Just like that?" There was a more subdued note of teasing in Andy's voice as he trailed kisses along Ashley's cheek and jaw.

Ashley kissed the tip of his nose. "You and I can't exactly make a baby, so it doesn't matter how we do it."

"That's not what I meant," Andy said, embarrassed. "I mean... this is okay, for you?"

Ashley closed his eyes for a moment. He wasn't sure if he would define himself as _okay_ still, but...

But this moment, right now, was. He felt comfortable. He felt _safe_. Whenever he was alone again, when he had to dwell on his thoughts, he'd have to deal with it, but it didn't change what he was feeling right now.

"Yeah," he said, reaching up to touch Andy's face and smooth away the furrow of concern on his brow when he opened his eyes again.

Andy caught his hand and squeezed, linking their fingers together as he seemed to be developing the habit of doing. "Can you sleep now?"

Ashley laughed softly. "I think so. Thank you." He did think so, but for the moment, he would rather bask in this strange, wonderful feeling growing between them. Shrouded in the canopy bed, it was like they were the only two people in the whole world. It was almost true, anyway.

It wouldn't be so bad a world, that.

Ashley wrapped himself around Andy, closing his eyes once more, but he didn't sleep yet. He didn't speak, he didn't think. For the first time in a while, he just let himself be.


End file.
